Adenoids (pharyngeal tonsils) and tonsils (palatine tonsils) are involved in a number of diseases of the ear, nose, and throat including chronic otitis media with effusion (COME), recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM), adenoiditis, pediatric chronic sinusitis, tonsillitis, pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), adult OSA, and chronic strep throat. Lingual tonsils can become infected and may cause or aggravate sore throat pain. Initial treatment for these various conditions normally involves administration of oral medications or, in the case of pediatric and adult sleep apnea, use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. Otitis media may be treated using ventilation tube surgery. Treatment success rates are often less than optimal, and in many cases the tonsils, adenoids or other throat tissue eventually may be surgically removed. Such surgeries are however painful, typically require the administration of anesthetics and lengthy post-operative recovery periods, and may be accompanied by complications such as post-operative bleeding, dehydration, weight loss, peritonsillar abscess, torticilis (neck stiffness), tissue regrowth, repeat surgery to address incomplete prior tissue removal, continued COME or RAOM, continued OSA, and occasionally death. Existing post-surgical treatments generally provide only limited relief, and may include dietary limitations, rinses, and administration of painkilling medications or oral antibiotics to reduce post-operative pain and infections.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2012/0108509 A1 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference) describes an artificial scab composition for use in tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) procedures. The composition is a substantially dry, free-flowing powdered mixture of at least partially solvatable chitosan particles and at least partially solvatable oxidized polysaccharide particles. When applied to a surgical site or wound moistened with bodily fluids, the powdered mixture forms an inhomogeneous, uncohesive, solid sheet-like body that breaks apart into smaller pieces if peeled away from the surgical site or wound. The powdered mixture may for example be applied using a bellows-type dispenser that expels the powder through an elongated, flexible straw that directs a stream of the powder onto a surgical site.